Chapter 7
Fangs of the Viper
Todoroki poured water into the kettle to make tea for him and Yao-Momo, who sat behind him on the kitchen table. After eating breakfast, they both did the dishes together and got to talking about various topics, neither of them wanting to talk about Alloy. They knew that while the matter was important, there wasn't much to say about it. Besides, they needed a break from all the drama, so they were just hanging out, both content with simply talking.
"So, let me ask you something. Why don't you let Arthur help you with the housework and cooking?" Yao-Momo asked.
"It's part of my training." The son of Endeavor answered as he put the kettle on the stove.
"Really? How does it help you?"
"Well, I think that every one of these activities helps somehow. Take cooking for instance. It teaches you punctuality as you try to follow the recipe as closely as possible and in case something goes wrong, it teaches you how to think quickly to solve the problem. It doesn't help as much as battle or Quirk training, but it's still pretty helpful. Besides…" He looked at the kettle, still with no fire under it yet.
"… It gives me a chance to improvise sometimes." He said, smiling as he pointed his left index finger towards the kettle, a small stream of fire making its way out of it towards the container to boil the water.
"Wow. His control over his fire has improved so dramatically, he can use his fingers now! I guess housework is pretty helpful after all." The creation heroine thought to herself as she watched the flames heating the kettle.
The kettle started singing and Todoroki poured the tea. Yao-Momo took her cup from him, thanked him with a nod and took a sip. She closed her eyes as the flavor broke down and blended in her mouth.
"This is really good! I guess housework improves more than just your battle sense, huh?" She said and he smiled in response.
Yao-Momo took in a breath when he smiled. It wasn't one of his regular smirks or a little tiny smile. It was a real, natural smile. She could feel her heart beat faster. Then he chuckled. Music to her ears, that was. Her grip around her tea cup tightening, the creation heroine couldn't help but think about the trouble she was in, having a crush on Icy Hot. She took a deep breath to clear her mind.
"Now I have a question for you." Todoroki's words snapped her out of her daze.
"Sure, what's up?" She nodded, taking yet another sip of her tea.
"What do you plan on doing after we graduate from U.A.?"
"Well, I've been thinking about my options. If I can keep my grades up, I believe I might be able to score a scholarship abroad. Why do you ask though? We're still two years away from all that." She said, as he nodded along.
"I've just been wondering about what I would do. Besides, I'm curious." Todoroki replied, taking a sip from his tea.
Yao-Momo raised an eyebrow; it seemed as though there was more to his question than that. Knowing Todoroki, he probably had a good reason to hide whatever it is he had in mind from her. Still, she felt a little bad over the fact that he couldn't trust her. Maybe it was bigger than she thought? She sighed, accepting that only time would tell.
"So, how're those nightmares coming?" She asked him.
"They got worse. Bakugo's in them now."
"Bakugo? Really? I had no idea you two were so close." She raised an eyebrow.
"We're not. That's why it's weird. It's only worse because his line is 'You couldn't even help, you twin-sided bastard.'" The son of Endeavor said, chuckling as Yao-Momo laughed.
"Boy, do I feel sorry for you. Bakugo every night isn't something you'd want on your plate." Yao-Momo took her breath.
"I know. I'm even more worried because that's not what he usually calls me." They both shared a laugh.
"Alright, I gotta get to training. Thanks for the meal, those eggs were delicious." The son of Endeavor finished his tea, stood up and left, leaving Yao-Momo alone to her thoughts.
Todoroki, all geared up for his training session, stood at the middle of the backyard. He remembered his talk with Yao-Momo earlier that day, about Alloy's Quirk and power. He then remembered how Yao-Momo and Midoriya were attacked by what were most probably Alloy's men. The son of Endeavor clenched his right fist.
"Alloy… I know that I'll come across him. Sooner or later, I will. If he's as powerful as the information Yao-Momo found about him says, then I'm gonna need to step up my game, big time. Besides, he might send out others after us, so I have to be prepared. Too much is at stake…"
The son of Endeavor walked a bit to the right, turned his back to the house and took a deep breath.
"One. Two. Three. Go!" He moved in circles around the spot where he once stood, making a path of ice behind him with his right leg.
Todoroki watched carefully the start of the icy circle he had started as he continued his motion. Then, once he finished what seemed to be three quarters of the circle, he lifted his left hand and used his fire on the ice to melt it, preventing the circle from ever being completed.
The young hero-in-training could feel himself lose speed as he started feeling a little sluggish, the icy path behind him showing zigzags. Gritting his teeth, he tried his best to maintain his course and speed while keeping both his sides active at the same time. Soon, after a few laps of curved motions, the strain on Todoroki's muscles got the better of him and he landed on his knee, sweating and panting.
"Well, I'm definitely going to feel all that tomorrow… Oh well, it's not like this is my first rough training session. Just need a second…" True to his words, the son of Endeavor took a few moments to catch his breath before resuming the same exercise.
What he didn't realise, though, was that Arthur stood by the window, watching his young master train from inside the house. Time and again, his master would fall, but he'd just spend a moment of recuperation before standing up and resuming again. It was amazing how determined the young man was. The butler looked behind him, hearing Yao-Momo walk up to the window beside him.
"Good day, miss. Your stay is satisfactory so far, I hope?" Said Arthur with a slight bow.
"Yes, it sure has, thank you." She smiled in appreciation, before returning her attention towards the guy training in the backyard.
"He sure is working hard. Am I so bold to ask if he is like this in class?" The butler asked.
"Generally, yeah. Although, he seems to me as though he's pushing himself a bit more than usual. Have you noticed anything different with him?" She asked, watching as Todoroki placed his hands on his knees and panted.
"Yes, I actually have. I can't quite put my hands on it, but master Shoto has certainly changed. Maybe he's trying his best to improve because of all the things that have been going on lately?" Arthur reasoned.
"I don't know. Todoroki has never been one to worry so much. I mean, I know we're under a pretty big deal of a threat, but still." She said, causing Arthur to turn his eyes back towards their conversation piece.
"Well, then… I guess his drive is something we'll find out when the time is right." Arthur continued to watch.
Yao-Momo watched Todoroki collapse to his knees yet again, before she turned and walked away.
"His drive, huh?" She said to herself. Sighing, she accepted the fact that only time will tell.
Midoriya couldn't believe himself.
Despite the fact that he had foiled an attack attempt from a villain and that he was most probably still being hunted, he could never have imagined that it would all lead to him sitting with All Might in his beach house. Everything he touched was practically sacred to the bearer of One for All, even the couch he sat on.
All Might came into the room, holding two plates of cake. He placed one in front of Midoriya.
"Here. I thought you might need to eat something." The former Symbol of Peace said, sitting down opposite his successor.
"Thanks. Anyway, I called them, as you said. They should be here any minute now." Midoriya said.
"Good. Here's to hoping they make it here safely. You can't trust things out there anymore."
As if on cue, they both heard a knock on the door. Midoriya ran to get it and opened it to reveal just who they had been expecting.
"Hey, Deku!" Uraraka waved excitedly with a grin, as Midoriya let her and the others inside.
"We came as soon as we got your call. Glad to see you're not harmed, by the way." Iida said, adjusting his glasses.
"I still don't understand why you were attacked. It's usually Bakugo who gets caught up in that kind of event." Asui stated as Midoriya closed the door.
"Beats me. Anyway, come on you guys. All Might's waiting in the living room."
Midoriya lead the other three into the living room, were All Might sat with the TV on. The former Symbol of Peace greeted the newcomers and motioned for them to sit down.
"I want the four of you to listen to me very carefully. This matter is not to be taken lightly, so pay close attention." The pressure of All Might's grave tone bore on their shoulders as they listened intently.
"Not only was Young Midoriya here attacked, but you should also know that Young Yaoyorozu in Barcelona was too. A dangerous villain out there is letting his men loose and until we find out more about his aims, we are lead to believe that Class 1-A students are his target. Therefore, I need the four of you to notify all those you can. As for you lot… Well, that's kind of tricky, so if you wish to back down and go home, my driver will take you home just as he brought you."
"Tell us, please." Iida said, looking at the former symbol of peace with attention.
"Normally, in such a situation, I'd call for another pro hero to look after you. One that is not retired like myself. However, none of the other teachers at U.A. was available at this time, let alone on short notice, and most of the other pro heroes are out there taking care of the villains who escaped Tartarus and bringing them back to their cells. So this left me with only one option." All Might looked them all in the eye.
"Yes...?" Uraraka said, feeling a little bit worried.
"I'm gonna have you four prepare for and engage in battle, should the need arise." The students looked at their teacher wide-eyed.
Midoriya was surprised, but he thought the whole thing over. He was with All Might when he made some of the calls to the other heroes, and judging by what he read and heard from his teacher about Alloy, he certainly didn't think that the police would be sufficient. The bearer of One for All looked at the others around him. It may have been quite dangerous, but if he were to turn his back on them and they were to all agree, it'd be as though he was abandoning them when they needed him. Midoriya couldn't afford to do that, neither as a friend nor as a hero. Besides, one of the targets of that attack on the beach was All Might. It wouldn't feel right to leave him.
"I'm in. I can't afford to let these people harm anyone." Midoriya said, standing up.
"Midoriya, you do realise that these villains have committed crimes so horrible that death wasn't enough a punishment for them, right?" Iida said with wide eyes.
"Yeah, I do, and I know that the sludge villain I fought at the beach before is nothing compared to the others. Yet, I can't just leave. They'll try and get to us again anyway. Besides, if I know I can help protect at least one person, then I have to oblige. After all, it is a hero's greatest aspiration, right?" The bearer of One for All looked at his best friend in the eye, resolve unwavering.
Iida stood in silence for a moment, Midoriya's words playing over and over in his head. He knew his best friend was right. No matter where they went, they wouldn't be able to completely escape those villains. They didn't know what they wanted from them yet, but that's all the more reason to be careful about the whole matter. Sighing, the heir of Ingenium turned towards Uraraka and Asui.
"If Deku's in, then I'm with him every step of the way!" Uraraka stood up, and walked up to Midoriya.
"You can count on me too." Asui added with a nod.
Iida sighed. There seemed to be no bending his friends on that one.
"In that case, I'm fighting as well. As the class representative, I can't let you guys do this on your own."
"Iida… Thank you." Midoriya said with a smile.
All Might looked on as his students started preparing to make the calls. While he dreaded having to resort to making them fight, he didn't have a choice. Still, between those four, things were gonna be fine. He knew it.
"In that case, I guess it's time to bring you kids some cake." All Might said, as he disappeared back into the kitchen.
Three hooded figures sat in a car in the calm neighbourhood, right in front of a normal house. The one in the driver's seat looked at his watch through his jacket, then back outside. They had been waiting for a long time and Cleave was getting bored. He didn't even know what they were waiting for. Sighing, he turned to his companions.
"So, what are we waiting for again?" Cleave asked.
"For the sixth time, we are waiting till Sat tells us where Midoriya is exactly, so that we can be sure that he's not inside. Now, be quiet, or you'll get to be the boss's punching bag tonight." The woman in the passenger seat said with an annoyed tone.
"Ouch. With his newfound powers, I definitely apologise. Speaking of, he's got some crazy new strength, right?" Said Cleave.
"You bet, man. He's not showing it, but whatever it is that he took from that All for One creep back in Tartarus sure wasn't pretty. I almost pity the Todorokis." Said Fist from the back seat.
"I've seen his power." The lady said, both men turning to her in surprise.
"What?!" Said Cleave.
"No way! Illusia, what did you see?" Fist said, just as surprised.
"I'm not really supposed to tell, but you two oughta know it's terrifying. I'd stay on his good side if I were you." She said, turning her vision back towards the house.
"Wow. If it terrifies Illusia, then it must be crazy tough! Man, I wish we'd gotten a chance to talk with that eyeless freak." Cleave said to a nodding Fist.
At that moment, their communication device with Sat spoke.
"Can you three hear me?"
"Loud and clear. Find anything?" Illusia said, holding the device close to her mouth.
"Yes. He's at a house somewhere near the beach on which Sludge attacked him and All Might. He's got others with him, including the former symbol. Grab the target, and tell me once you're at the hideout for broadcast." And with that, the line died.
The three turned to each other, simultaneously pulled their hoods on and got out of the car.
Endeavor was in his training room, focusing on the targets moving quickly around him. He took a deep breath and released fireballs from his palms, each hitting a target and leaving a small explosion in its wake.
The flame hero let out a breath. He couldn't help but think about what Stain had said to him. Did Alloy really want to get back at him through his son? One would think that Alloy would have changed after being imprisoned, but that did not seem to be the case.
Still, Endeavor could not trust Stain's word. The guy was a villain. A murderer. That was not someone that could be trusted; especially if he would actually enjoy the fact that Endeavor would be harmed in any way in the name of his so-called 'greater cause'. He could have a trap set up for him with Alloy and all he said could be a lie.
Shaking his head, the flame hero made his way back to his office. He was overthinking the whole thing, obviously. Anyway, he was expecting a call from Tsukauchi any minute now. Endeavor had him check with the airport to check if Alloy could have been on aboard any flights to Barcelona since the break out.
As if on cue, the secretary came in and handed Endeavor the phone. Tsukauchi's voice came from the other side of the line.
"Hello, Endeavor. I checked with the airport as you asked and it turns out you were right. Alloy had a private plane waiting for him, ready to take him to Barcelona. He also had four companions; three men and a woman, all travelling under fake names. I couldn't get any descriptions, though. They must've prepared the whole thing pretty well if they passed airport security undetected." Endeavor nodded.
"Good. In that case, it seems I'm going to follow them, then. Thank you, officer." Endeavor said as hung up the phone.
Tsukauchi put his phone in his pocket, looking over various papers on his desk. It maddened him that he didn't know what went on between Endeavor and Stain. After he went out of the Hero Killer's cell, Endeavor looked… burdened. He would dodge any questions about it, but it was obvious that Endeavor was hiding something.
He lifted his head when someone came into his office.
"Sir, if you would please come to the surveillance room? There's something you gotta see." Tsukauchi nodded and followed the man into a room full of computers and screens.
The officer followed the man to a computer in one of the cornera of the dark room. They gave him a set of headphones and he put them on, listening in to what they had for him.
"…Grab the target, and tell me once you're at the hideout for broadcast." Tsukauchi listened, and then looked at the other two beside him.
"What exactly am I hearing here?"
"We've detected some unusual wave propagations earlier. They seemed to be coming from a satellite, so we followed it and managed to listen in. Unfortunately, what you just heard was all we could detect. However, judging by the properties of the wave and the message, we are lead to believe that whoever's talking is collaborating with the villains." Explained the man.
"I see. What's wrong with the wave, then?" Tsukauchi asked.
"You see, sir, after being reflected and propagating for a while, a progressive wave tends to lose energy as it travels. In the case of this one, it seemed to be unusually strong. During our brief connection with the satellite, we found out that the wave wasn't actually reflected. It was as if the transmission came from within the satellite itself."
Tsukauchi rubbed his chin as he took off the headphones. That was awfully strange. How could a satellite transmit something on its own? There were only two explanations for it. Either it was part of the satellite's program, or someone was within the satellite, sending the message from inside. Tsukauchi was no expert on these stuff, so he wasn't sure. Although, he did have a hunch…
"Keep after it. If they're broadcasting soon, then I need you to be on the lookout for when they do. Collect as much information about them as you can; who they're calling, where are both parties, but most importantly, I want to know how that thing works, with its weird waves and transmissions." Tsukauchi said to both of his companions.
"Yes, sir!" They both saluted.
"..Alright, thanks Ojiro. Take care." Midoriya hung up the phone and went on to the next caller.
He and his friends had been going on for a while now, making sure to call everyone they knew from school, notifying them about how they were all possible targets. They already had most of the class down and the sun hadn't even set yet.
Spending most of the daytime training with All Might, they thought they wouldn't be able to make the phone calls as quickly as they needed. However, once they caught their breaths and started calling a few people, they got up to pace. The former symbol of peace was particularly happy with their progress on the task. They looked as determined as ever to come through and not let the danger break them.
As a teacher, All Might couldn't be more proud.
"Asui, how much did you get so far?" Iida asked; a list of all their classmates in his hand.
"Three. I got Ashido, Jiro, and Sero."
"That's good. Uraraka?" He said as he crossed out the names mention by his frog friend.
"I got eight!" She said with a grin, as the others stared at her in amazement.
"Amazing, Uraraka! I got three myself too; Mineta, Kaminari, and Ojiro." Said Midoriya.
"Well then, I've been keeping track of those Uraraka's been calling and I can tell you that that leaves only one person left…" Iida said, as they all looked at the last name.
"K-Kacchan?! Well, I'm not calling him!" Midoriya said, fear evident on his face.
All Might chuckled and turned towards the living room, leaving the four students to bicker over who gets to call Young Bakugo. Taking a seat, he turned on the TV and watched the news. They'd already caught thirty of the villains. Maybe things would be over sooner than they all expected?
However, All Might would soon find out that he had counted his chickens before they got to hatch.
The news broadcast was interrupted and in its stead came the view of a woman tied to a chair, a clawed man clad in black behind him. The former Symbol of Peace's eyes widened as he recognised the woman.
"Young Midoriya! Get over here quickly!" All Might called out. The students all filed into the living room running.
"What's go-" Midoriya stood in silence at what he saw.
A man's claw-like hands were pressed up to his mother's neck, a small trail of blood going down into her blouse. She was tied to a chair, her mouth covered with a cloth. He saw the look of fear and panic in her reddened eyes and he couldn't help but feel a mixture of anger and slight fear. The bearer of One for All clenched his fists.
"Mom…"
"Midoriya Izuku. As you can see, we have your mother in our clutches. If you wish to save her, come to the old tyre factory by the beach, tonight… No police, No pro heroes." Then the TV screen showed static.
Midoriya sat on the couch, his mind racing with thoughts. One, however, seemed to repeat itself more than any other.
"What just happened…?"
That night, in Barcelona, Todoroki and Yao-Momo decided to kick back in the living room and watch a movie. After fighting for a good while over what movie to watch, Yao-Momo scored the victory and they ended up watching Atlantis, a Disney classic that's her favourite. She was surprised to see he owned it, deciding she should take that chance to watch it.
They sat on the couch together, eating popcorn and drinking soft drinks as the movie played on. They watched as the main characters looked over the sunken city of Atlantis from atop a statue, the beautiful, natural view filling the screen. As the two heroes-in-training watched the movie, Yao-Momo broke the silence.
"Have you seen the second instalment?" She asked.
"Bits and pieces. It's pretty good, but I actually prefer this one." Todoroki replied, eating from the big bowl of popcorn.
"Yeah, me too. I've never seen the second movie. You kinda wonder what became of Milo and Kida, though, right?" She said, turning back to the screen.
"I know what became of them." He said, unable to suppress a smirk when her head slowly turned towards him.
"What became of them? No, wait, I don't wanna know. Maybe just a heads-up then?" She said as Todoroki chuckled.
"Alright, alright, I know how this will end. I'll let you find out on your own. I'll tell you it's actually fitting to them, though." He said.
"I see. It's just so magical, y'know? Two people, with that kind of bond… Todoroki, have you ever had that before?" She said, turning to him. Todoroki was silent for a few moments before answering.
"No. I haven't. At least, not yet. Have you?" He said, taking a sip from his Mountain Dew.
"No. No, I haven't." She said, turning back to the movie to hide her blush from him.
"What do you think of it, though?" He asked her, causing her to blush more.
"When it's true, it's the most amazing thing ever. I know I've never tried it, but I just know it's the best. Kinda hard to find, though." She said, making sure to plaster her eyes to the screen.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." He said to himself, turning towards the screen himself.
The credits rolled as the movie drew to a close and Todoroki turned off the TV. He looked down at Yao-Momo, who fell asleep beside him on the couch, unconsciously resting her feet on his lap. He smiled at the view of her sleeping so peacefully, making sure to remember the view. He lifted her legs slowly from above his lap, stood up and set them down. Then, he covered her up with the weave on the back of the couch before leaving for the garden.
Outside, Todoroki sat down at a bench lit by a small lamp above it. He looked up at the stars and let his mind drift to Alloy… Not a pleasant first stop for his train of thoughts, but he still couldn't be too careful about that matter.
The son of Endeavor had lots of questions. Maybe Alloy wanted to harm him as revenge against his father, but why would he want anything to do with his friends? And how did he know they were in Barcelona? Maybe someone told him, but the only people who knew were Todoroki's family, and a few of his friends. Namely, Midoriya and Yao-Momo, who only happened to know because of circumstance.
Todoroki turned his head to his right, where the backyard was. He could have sworn he saw a shadow move over there… He stood up and went to check it out.
The backyard was dark, save for the light on the porch. Todoroki's shadow stretched in front of him into the darkness, revealing none of his surroundings. He glared at the shadows, tensed his muscles. He took a deep breath, and looked around him carefully…
The son of Endeavor turned to face the left side and made a wall of ice to block a punch directed at him by his unknown attacker. He jumped a few feet back to make some distance, as the attacker destroyed the ice, revealing his hooded figure.
"So, I'm guessing you're one of Alloy's lackeys. What do you want here?" Todoroki said, glaring daggers at the man.
"Nothing. Jussst you… and the girl." The man said, sticking his tongue out for a second before pulling it back in.
"Reveal yourself, now."
"Why should I when you're about to get broken ssso bad, you won't remember it anyway?" The man said.
"He sure is a pro when it comes to using S's, huh?" thought Todoroki, as he got his guard up.
"You ssseem ready to fight. Are you not afraid of the law punishing you if you hurt me?" The man said.
"No. The law states I can protect my house against any intruder. Now, if you're done playing 'Courtroom', I need to sleep early."
"Then allow me… TO FINISH THIS!" The man yelled as he lunged at Todoroki.
The son of Endeavor tried using his ice to intercept the man, but he dodged whatever came across him. Soon, he reached the young hero-in-training and threw a left hook, only for its target to duck. Todoroki planted his left hand on the hooded man's abdomen, and released a huge stream of fire, engulfing him. However, he gritted his teeth as he turned to the stony fence behind him, the man standing atop of it.
"Well, you're every bit as sssmart as I had heard, Todoroki Shoto. Too bad that alone will not help you now." The man said, apparently hissing.
"If you think that's all I've got, you're in for a rude awakening. I'm more than just brains and muscles." Todoroki said, maintaining his glare.
The man lunged at him again; another left hook at the ready. However, Todoroki side stepped again and let the flames run free on his left side. He then turned as he saw the flames burn away the man's cloak and gradually reveal his true figure.
The son of Endeavor's eyes went wide. In front of him was a man with scales for skin and a tail coming out of his dark, baggy pants. He didn't wear any footwear, letting his dinosaur-like talons feel the ground below them. He trained his bright yellow eyes on Todoroki and his jaws broke into a twisted smile of fangs and canines.
"So, whattya think? Handsome, right?"
"Not even if I was blind. Although, now I'm guessing watching Spider-man fight Doctor Conners all those times is finally gonna pay off." Todoroki said.
"My name is Slizzle and I am your fate, Todoroki Shoto. Now, prepare for your what's to come if you can." Slizzle said, poison dripping from his mouth.
Slizzle jumped back on the far end of the fence, then pushed off of it to reach the house, and kicking off from there to one of the fence's corners. Todoroki followed him as he jumped around, but he was getting dizzier. He needed to find to break his pattern somehow… Thinking it over, Todoroki decided on the best course of action and kept his eyes locked on Slizzle.
Slizzle suddenly landed in front of Todoroki and went in for a poisonous bite. After all that jumping, even the son of Endeavor would be dizzy, wouldn't he? Yet, Todoroki had other plans as he made another wall of ice to block Slizzle's path, forcing him backward.
"His movements are pretty much just like Stain's. They both need to get in close to use their powers to their full extent. I can't afford to let him get too close… but maybe I can use his strength against him." Todoroki thought, as he let a stream of fire run towards the intruder.
Slizzle easily dodged the fire with his wild instincts and maneuvered his way around the new icy obstacles with equivalent ease. He closed in on Todoroki, ready to attempt a bite once again.
Todoroki smirked, making a block of ice exactly below Slizzle to hit him in the gut. Then, with his opponent's momentum stopped, the son of Endeavor unleashed as much power into his flames, as they collided with Slizzle.
But Todoroki could not see the snake's sick smile through the fire.
Slizzle's hand came out of the flames, grabbed Todoroki's throat and slammed him into the fence. The son of Endeavor's eyes widened, seeing Slizzle moving despite being on fire.
"Wha..?" Todoroki said with difficulty.
"I'm a snake. I have to change my skin every once in a while. Thanks to you, I was just saved a very hard process of peeling my own skin off." Slizzle said, as some of his skin started to fall off.
"You never see this on the discovery channel… Argh!" Todoroki said as he took a punch to his gut.
The snake wrapped his tail around Todoroki, keeping him from using his Quirk, as he started giving him jabbing his face repetitively. The son of Endeavor felt the pain of the tail squeezing around him and the continuous punches to his face slowly take him into unconsciousness, numbness starting to eat at him.
Slizzle smiled, seeing tiredness slowly eat at Todoroki. He pulled back his right arm for one final punch…
…but the snake was pushed back by an explosion to his face, forcing him to let go of Todoroki. Clutching his eye, Slizzle could feel his own blood on his hand. He looked to where the blast had come from, his breaths heavy and his teeth grit.
"Yaoyorozu Momo. Great timing. I was actually looking for you." Slizzle's maniacal smile glowed in the dark as he looked at Yao-Momo, standing beside the cannon she used during the obstacle course of the sports festival.
"Step away from him." Yao-Momo said, glaring at Slizzle, who stood in place for a while before answering.
"...Alright. You got it." The snake walked away from Todoroki, who was watching from the ground and made his way towards her.
Slizzle suddenly disappeared. Grabbing Yao-Momo from behind, he went in for a bite, only for Yao-Momo to make a sharp spear from her elbow, injuring his right shoulder. She then turned around and made a katana, which she used to slash his torso as he recovered from his shoulder being injured.
Todoroki was on the ground, watching as Yao-Momo fought Slizzle with extreme expertise and absolute grace.
"When did she…? Wow, regardless, she got good! His face is injured, which means he can't see with his right-eye anymore. He also peel his skin off again, so that's one defensive measure down as well. Moreover, his instincts are getting the better of him. Yao-Momo must have noticed this, and is using it to her advantage." He noted as she slashed at him again.
Angry, Slizzle ducked below her attack and drove her into the ground with his good hand, planting his knees on her arms to keep her from using her weapon. He used his tail to throw the katana away, then picked her up, both her hands resting in his left, and her legs tied by his tail. The snake couldn't help but laugh.
"Take a good look, Todoroki! Your friend pissed me off. Now, she gets punished." A bloodlust-blinded Slizzle opened his mouth and went in to bite Yao-Momo.
The next few moments passed by slowly for the son of Endeavor. As he looked at Yao-Momo's exhausted face, he saw her in his dream; pained and in disbelief. He remembered her face during their practical exam against Mr. Aizawa; how she smiled as she asked him if her plan was alright with him. He remembered her face when he told her she could stay with him until her parents returned; how happy she was. And he remembered her voice, calling his name…
He clenched his fists. He was not about to let those dreams become a reality. He was not going to let them harm her. He was not going to lie down there and watch his best friend have that happen to her, not so long as he could still draw breath.
Slizzle was only a few inches from Yao-Momo's neck when Todoroki's fire hit him in his injured eye. Roaring in pain, the snake withdrew and clutched his injured eye, but he could see Todoroki pointing his left index finger at him.
"You…YOU!..." Slizzle's rage blinded him as he turned towards the son of Endeavor.
His attempt to attack Todoroki failed, as he released a wave of ice towards the snake, freezing him in place completely. The only parts not frozen were Slizzle's mouth and good eye. Todoroki was standing groggily, but he righted himself as he glared at Slizzle.
"You spill no hero blood today…" Todoroki said venomously, making Slizzle's eye widen in fear.
Yao-Momo made her way to Todoroki and held him up before he hit the ground. He seemed far more exhausted than she was, yet he still won the fight. Not only that, but…
She smiled. Todoroki saved her once again.
